


Soar for Seven Days

by Captain_Hughes_ZU



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: A Week of Kagehina, M/M, first attempt at a tumblr week fic series, on tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-04 12:46:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4138101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_Hughes_ZU/pseuds/Captain_Hughes_ZU
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For A Week of KageHina on tumblr. Seven short, fluffy KageHinas for everyone's pleasure, one a day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Miracle

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, this story is a seven chapter one-shot fic for Kagehina Week (June 14-21 2015) on tumblr. Hopefully I'll get up a chapter each day, even though I missed the first... ; v ;
> 
> The first prompt is 'Miracle/Warm-Up'.
> 
> All that's left to say is enjoy, I guess! Have fun, comments are highly appreciated and hope you like it!

How long it took for affection to wear off was something Kageyama possessed no knowledge of.

He knew it was something that happened sometimes. People got divorced, couples cooled off and broke up, friends drifted apart. Prior to this day, the thought hadn’t really bothered him very much. But prior to this day, or rather, the last little section of his life, he hadn’t really had any affections that were at risk of getting lost.

But now he did, so the things he’d previously dismissed as unnecessary sentimental extras were a little more than worrying.

Shouyou Hinata was to Kageyama what one would often refer to as a ‘boyfriend’. Kageyama didn’t really like the term much. He stuck to ‘dumbass’, and if he was in a good mood, just ‘stupid’. Despite the somewhat derogatory pet names, Hinata was a special person to Kageyama, and the thought of them drifting apart made him a little anxious.

Not that it was something he’d openly admit to, of course.

But he was sure it was happening. He wasn’t a person well known for his skills in reading people’s emotion, but even so he was still getting a sense of distance between himself and his dumbass. It was a little unsettling, but he did his best to make up for it by not (angrily) calling out Hinata for every mistake and toning down his flying kicks to at most once a week. But even after all these gestures, it seemed like Hinata was getting further and further away without even noticing.

Which just left Kageyama to take the initiative in the ‘affection department’ for once.

“Oi. You stupid dumbass.” A perfectly executed opening line, if he did say so himself.

“What is it, Kageyama?” Hinata flipped his head up to glare from where he sat tying his shoelaces on the floor of the empty club room. The pair were a little early and nobody else had reached the building. “And you’re so rude. You could just call me my name for once, you know?”

Obviously Hinata didn’t grasp the concept of pet names, Kageyama reflected. “I want to talk to you,” he said.

Hinata, immediately suspicious, raised a trainer in front of his face like a mock shield. “What’s this? The ever-stone-faced Kageyama wants to talk? What could possibly have triggered such a bizarre event?!”

“Just shut up and come with me!” grumbled Kageyama, holding out a hand. Hinata took it and he was pulled to his feet and towards the gym.

“Whoa, hey, let go! If you’re gonna drag me, then I don’t wanna hold hands!”

“Just keep walking.”

“Ugh, you’re so bossy.”

“Hmph.”

Kageyama eventually ground to a stop behind the club building, Hinata at his side.

“So what did you want to talk about?” the ginger asked, cocking his head with a curious glimmer about him. “You don’t normally pull me out for things like this…”

It was about now that Kageyama’s carefully plotted scheme began to unwind. One major failing which caused this was the fact that the scheme wasn’t really so much of a scheme as it was of an idea, as it was of a thought, as it was of an impulse move on a weird feeling.

“Do you still…” He broke off, staring down at the little blocker’s waiting face. Hinata blinked quizzically, his eyebrows drawing close as he tried to figure out where his teammate was going with this. The expression was cute on him, Kageyama admitted inwardly.

But what if he was making a mistake? It wasn’t like Hinata had completely shut him out. He still talked to him the same, smiled at him the same, shouted at him the same and said he loved him the same. If everything was fine, he was doubting Hinata’s trust, which was something the little teenager had never seemed to do to him.

If he was wrong, and if that hurt Hinata, would he actually slip away then? If he questioned his feelings, would Hinata give them away for good?

Kageyama couldn’t have that.

Hinata was his opposite and his twin, the person who drove him nuts and elated him all at once. He was like dusty summers and sun showers, like the sweet taste of watermelon and the sticky juice on your fingers – a deal of annoyance, but warm, bright, familiar and impossible to get rid of.

If that were the case then Kageyama would want to be the dusk at the end of that day, drawing shadows over the hot pavement and ringing in a hot sort of darkness. He wanted to follow wherever Hinata was, his contrast in many ways but the ultimate match for his heated passion.

“You still love me, right?” he managed in a low voice, scuffing the ground with his trainers. He hoped against hope he wasn’t making the biggest mistake of his life.

Contrary to whatever he thought might have happened, Hinata didn’t blow up at him or start bawling or something equally as bad for Kageyama. He just gave a perplexed frown and said. “Yeah. Why d’you ask?”

Kageyama thought on his feet, taken aback by the easy reply. “I just noticed…you hadn’t been doing…”

He tapped his cheek. “The…” He winced because he hated the word. “ _…smooch_ thing. The one you used to do all the time.”

“Oh!” Hinata’s eyes widened and he twisted his lips in embarrassment. “There’s a good reason for that…”

Kageyama cocked his head. It was his turn to be puzzled now.

Hinata went from embarrassed to reluctant in a heartbeat and glowered at the floor. He continued in a mumble. “…and it’s not just because I’m too short to reach without hurting my neck…”

“Then why?”

The ginger faltered for a second before quickly blurting, “Okay, it’s entirely because I’m too short to reach without hurting my neck.”

“Is that all it was?” asked Kageyama quietly.

“Yeah. I was just not doing it as much because I kept having to stand on tiptoe,” admitted Hinata. A wicked smirk flickered onto face. “I didn’t know you liked it so much, Kageyama! Maybe there is a little romance in you! I’ll find it yet, you know I will!”

“Oh, shut up.” Kageyama blew a short sigh out his nose. A feeling of relief was washing through him now. It made him happier than he knew how to express to know that Hinata loved him just the same as ever. “If you can’t reach, you could have just told me to lean over. I would have done it.”

“I did ask that,” muttered Hinata, looking sideways and pouting. “Just not loudly. It’s embarrassing.”

Kageyama pressed his lips into a line, folding his arms. “Fine. I’ll just do it instead then.”

“Okay, that’s probably a good idea. But would you ever even come up to me and—”

Hinata didn’t finish his sentence as Kageyama answered the question for him by planting a rough kiss right on his cheekbone. He thought to himself it was lucky he hadn’t head-butted the other teenager in his haste.

“How was that?” he grunted. “That better than standing on tiptoes and hurting your neck?”

Hinata stared at him, speechless and mouth agape. He clicked his jaws shut quickly and nodded, pink seeping into his cheeks. “That was good. Much better.”

“Alright then. From now on, I’ll do that thing.”

“Smooch.”

“Can we call it something else?”

“You showing affection like this with your level of jerk-ness?” Hinata laughed, his infectious grin creeping across his face. “I’ll call it a miracle!”

Kageyama tried in vain to stifle the smile pressing against his mouth. “Come on. Let’s go train.”

“One more time! The other cheek, so it evens out!”

“Fine, fine. But you’re pushing it.”


	2. Subtle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt this time was 'Subtle/Tinkle'. I hope you enjoy as I really like this one. X3

Another day, another training session. It went by without events that needed any great deal of speculation. The most interesting thing that had happened was probably Hinata knocking Tsukishima’s glasses off with a serve. Needless to say, that hadn’t gone down well with the lanky blocker or his best friend.

Now the gym had to be cleaned, which was really more of half the team packing away the equipment and the other half sprinting up and down with brooms in an effort to create broom skis. If Ukai walked back in, the blame was to be placed entirely on Asahi.

After they’d just about finished and only suffered the minor injury of Nishinoya flying off the end of his broom and into the nearby whiteboard, the beginnings of today’s more unusual event began to unfurl.

“Hinata.”

“Huh?” The blocker twisted around to look in the direction of his name, abandoning his joint effort with Tanaka to get Noya to sit still enough to check his head for bits of whiteboard.

It was Kageyama. His forehead creased into a frown as Hinata met his gaze and the ginger was immediately wary of the look in his eye.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked slowly, feeling a little bit of apprehension niggling in his stomach.

“Stand up.”

_“_ What? _Why?”_

Kageyama maintained his dark expression as he continued, “Tsukishima bet me 500 yen I couldn’t lift you. Unless you can pay me more to not do it, I’m going to prove him wrong.”

“No way!” Hinata smacked his arms together in a cross. “Looks like you’ll have to get your wallet out because there’s no way I’m letting you—”

“Stand up.”

“No.”

“Get up!”

“No!”

“Do it!”

“ _No!_ ”

This went on for a little while, Tanaka’s eyes flicking between Kageyama and Hinata as their words bounced back and forth not unlike volleyballs.

“If I say yes will you shut up?” Hinata shouted eventually, after having risen to his feet in a bid to get in Kageyama’s face.

“I’ll shut up when you let me win the bet,” retorted the setter, folding his arms. “I’m not paying that blond dumbass that 500 yen just because you’re stubborn.”

“Well, with that attitude you just might be!” huffed Hinata, pursing his lips in a scowl.

“Will you let me lift you up or not?”

“What’s this? Kageyama is lifting Hinata?” called Suga from the other end of the hall. “Don’t tell me they’re going to re-enact Titanic as Jack and Rose. I haven’t been able to keep a straight face in that movie since Tanaka and Noya impersonated it last time.”

His words missed the ears of the two quarrelling first years’, but Asahi spat out half his water bottle and started coughing.

“As I was saying, yes or no?” prompted Kageyama. “Though really you don’t have much choice.”

“Fine. Just get it over with.” With that, Hinata raised his arms up from his sides and glowered at Kageyama. “Only for a couple of seconds.”

The setter turned his head to scan the gym before calling out, “Oi, Tsukishima!”

His call reached Tsukishima, who looked around at him.

“What does your highness require?” the blocker asked, sauntering over with Yamaguchi at his side. He took one puzzled look at Hinata’s pose and raised his eyebrows. “And what are you doing? Preparing for take-off?”

“In that case, the runway’s outside,” said Yamaguchi, snickering.

Hinata clenched his teeth and screwed up his nose. “Hmph!”

“I’m going to prove you wrong,” said Kageyama curtly, tossing a gesture at the waiting Hinata. “Watch.”

He reached forward and wrapped his hands around Hinata’s arms, hardly surprised to find they almost encircled his skinny biceps. With a deep breath, he hoisted the little teenager off the gym floor so his feet dangled in the air.

_He was so light._

Kageyama found himself staring into the blocker’s face, noting the look of startled embarrassment he wore and the way his brown eyes flicked from spot to spot. He blinked a couple of times before locking eyes with the setter. Kageyama could feel his arm muscles twitching through his fingers and hoped the grip wasn’t hurting. He could feel a pulse too, just a faint thrum under his fingertips.

_He was so strong._

Hinata looked around the gym for a bit, ashamed and not wanting to meet anyone’s gaze. He could feel Kageyama’s thumbs pressing into his shoulders and the way the setter’s arms were trembling ever so slightly with the effort of holding him mid-air. When he did look at him, his dark eyes were as unfathomable as the look on his face. He noted for the first time the delicate fringe that hung across his teammate’s forehead and wondered if it ever tickled his eyebrows.

It was subtle things like these that made up the pair’s affection for each other.

And then an eternity was over in seconds and Kageyama dropped him back on the gym floor. He turned to a rather baffled looking Tsukishima and held out a hand.

“What the hell was that?” the bespectacled first year asked, eyebrows twisting.

“I can lift him.” Kageyama thrust his hand forward. “You bet me 500 yen I couldn’t. Pay up.”

Tsukishima’s confounded expression shifted to one of realisation, then he started to laugh. His eyes lit with amusement behind his glasses and he smirked at the pair in a way of suppressing what was probably an almighty grin.

“That’s priceless! I said I’d give you 500 yen if you ever _picked him up_!” repeated Tsukishima. Upon their blank faces, he went on with, “As in, take him out? I was joking when I said it, I can’t believe you took it so seriously. You two really are ridiculous.”

He turned to walk away, Yamaguchi giggling a little guiltily at his side.

“Hey! What about my money?” probed Kageyama.

“You’ll get it when you _actually do_ hook up,” Tsukishima told him over his shoulder. “The whole team’s waiting for it, you know.”

He and Yamaguchi headed for the gym doors, the latter casting a brief backwards glance.

“What do you think he meant by hook up?” asked Hinata once they’d exited.

Kageyama’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll get a fishing rod.”


	3. Pause

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Day 3, friends! I hope you like it, though it's less funny and more serious and written quite late at night because I forgot last night... The prompt was 'Move/Pause'.
> 
> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed or have any feedback!

It was cold outside. The type of cold that even people who waited for winter with anticipation of a nice chill wrapped themselves up in seven layers of clothes and sprinted from place to place in an effort to keep warm. The type of cold that summer-loving folks built holiday homes and moved halfway around the world to escape.

It was the type of cold that those brave souls who dared race onto the front lawn in their pyjamas to fetch the morning paper would come back in with their feet numb and every hair on their body standing on end. The air would bite against your skin like the snowflakes were tiny daggers made from ice and every breath would huff out into a rolling cloud of condensation.

Tobio Kageyama was standing next to his bicycle, rubbing his hands together and stamping his feet in a pitiful attempt to gather a little heat. Why was he out in this cold instead of riding home? Easy.

He was waiting.

What for? Easy.

Shouyou Hinata. The boy was being held back after school for what Kageyama had heard was a detention for causing some kind of ruckus in the classroom. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Hinata to cause trouble, even though it was usually unintentional.

Why was he waiting? That was a little tougher.

Kageyama had no clue as to how long Hinata would be or even where in the school he was, but he waited anyway. There was no practice after school today, and even so, Kageyama didn’t walk home with his ginger teammate.

It wasn’t that he had something important to talk to him about, or that Hinata had borrowed something he desperately needed to retrieve. Nobody had told him to pass on a message and Hinata hadn’t requested that he stay behind.

And still, he waited. What could have been his motive for all this?

Perhaps he just needed to see Hinata. Perhaps in this clawing, draining cold, he just wanted to look at a smile that reminded him of the summer sun. Maybe he stood here awaiting the eventual opportunity to bask in the eye-catching orange that was Hinata’s hair. The soft, spikey bangs seemed to snag so many snowflakes it was almost a concern that he’d shake his head and bury someone alive.

Maybe he was here for that little button nose, the one that stung a light red in the brisk air. That red would tint his cheeks if it was cold enough. Hinata had a smile that lit up his eyes, and the winter air reddened his cheeks in such a way as to make his face a picture of joy in such a bland white world as winter.

He might be waiting for that press of heat against his side, the sensation that told him he was not alone in the cold. He might be hoping for Hinata to come bounding outside in his earmuffs and parka and barrel right into Kageyama’s side in a bid for warmth. Each time he did, the setter snapped and grumbled and tried to push him away, but he never seemed able to shove with all his strength or inject quite the right amount of venom into his words.

Kageyama breathed onto his fingers, cherishing the momentary rush of heat on his skin but hating how it disappeared so fast. He shoved his hands into his pockets and buried his nose in his scarf, willing time to move even a little faster so that he wouldn’t catch his death waiting for Hinata to come outside.

While he waited, he thought. He wasn’t really the type to reminisce, but the cold had done something to his head that made him yearn to escape into fond memories of summer.

He thought about everything that had happened in the time he’d spent at the school. It seemed like an awful lot had gone down, in hindsight. Some wins, some losses, some nerve-wracking experiences and long days of routine that had seemed to stretch on for goodness knows how long.

But, in relation to the rest of his life, the past while had been so short. Such a little piece of fifteen years. And fifteen years was such a little piece of a lifetime.

The difference between summer and winter made it painfully obvious how fast time could slip by, especially when one’s days were so filled with passion and commitment and determination. It wasn’t something that normally bothered him, but at the moment Kageyama could not stop thinking about it.

Things wouldn’t be like this forever.

He might be the one standing outside in the snow, but he couldn’t help wanting time to be the one waiting for him. Maybe if he could draw out these days, draw out the time he spent not only with Hinata but with the whole team…

Maybe he could draw out the happiness he felt when he was with them.

If he could pause time, he could trap this feeling forever.

It was so saddening, he reflected. Knowing that a great thing like this – the greatest thing he knew – would eventually come to an end.

That sad feeling evolved into a gentle frustration, which led to a hot anger. Finally, it became conviction.

Kageyama could not pause time. He couldn’t ask it to wait, or pretend like he could stay this way forever. But he could make the most of it while he had it. He could make every move into a fond memory than a regret, live in the moment, live for his team, live for that grinning, button-nosed ginger he was waiting on.

He could make every day a memory of summer to look back on when it seemed his heart was as cold as winter.

“Kageyama?” A voice broke into his intense musing. “Did you wait all this time for me? Did you want to see me that much?”

“No, you dumbass!” Kageyama shouted back. “You chained your bike to mine!"


	4. Bloom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, and sorry I'm a day late with this one. It was quite hard to write, since it's the first real 'kiss scene' I've done. I guess it's kind of like my first kiss then, in a way... Well, that's weird to say. ^ ^ ;
> 
> This time the prompt was 'Bloom/Quote'.
> 
> (Sorry for any mistakes, no time to proof.)

Some plants only grow in very specific places, times and circumstances. Some flowers only burst open for the briefest time, and some only showed their colours once every several decades.

Hinata wasn’t very knowledgeable when it came to plants, but he knew that much. He’d also learned about photosynthesis in middle school, though the parts he had payed attention to were all but forgotten. Sometimes it annoyed him that he remembered so little about what he’d been taught, but then he remembered that you didn’t really need photosynthesis to play volleyball and that cheered him up.

“Oi, do you have the answer to number four?”

“Is that the one with…the numbers?”

“All of them have numbers, dumbass.”

“Rude! But…good point.”

You did have to know some basic maths to get by, however. Especially after you realised just how easily grades could affect extra-curricular activities also known as lives.

That was how Hinata came to be in Kageyama’s bedroom with the plan of revising for an upcoming test. Both of them were hopeless when it came to studies, but it was better than doing nothing. Except that their studying consisted of three hours of backyard volleyball, half an hour of figuring out which topic they were supposed to be doing and fifteen minutes of actual work.

“I’m bored of this,” sighed Hinata, flicking his pencil back and forth across the table. “Can we practise receives outside again?”

“It’s raining,” Kageyama pointed out without looking up from the page of formulae he was attempting to memorise.

“So?”

“If we catch colds from being out there, we might miss training.”

“Oh, right.” Hinata hummed begrudgingly and tried to read the homework again, but after scanning it three times, he realised he really couldn’t learn anything right now. His brain wasn’t in the mood for it.

“Can we just take a break then?” pleaded the ginger, knowing Kageyama probably wouldn’t be able to say no to that.

The setter grunted but didn’t give a clear answer.

Irked, Hinata tried to sweeten the deal. “We could do something boyfriend-y?”

“The heck is that?” Kageyama looked up with a baffled expression this time.

“You know. Snuggle or something, maybe,” prompted Hinata. It was true the two of them had been together for a little while now, but it wasn’t like either of them had any prior experience or knew what kind of things couples did with each other.

Especially not Kageyama.

So many of their romantic interactions were just awkward suggestions and fumbling attempts to try and think what they knew couples did besides play volleyball. Daichi and Suga were a prime example of this kind of activity, Hinata knew. But they knew things to do that weren’t volleyball. He made a mental note to ask them about it.

“That’s generally what couples do, right?” the teen started again. “They sort of sit together and hug and hold hands and stuff.”

“That’s weird,” Kageyama concluded. “Why would they do that?”

“To be near each other, I guess.” Hinata looked at his partner. “Don’t you feel like that? Like you want to be close to me?”

“I suppose so,” mumbled Kageyama with a barely concealed bashfulness. “Do you?”

Hinata nodded. “I do.”

“Let’s, then.”

With that, the blocker wriggled across the bedroom floor towards the other teen and sidled up next to him. He brushed against Kageyama’s side as he drew close and felt the setter shift at the contact.

“What now?” he asked, looking down.

“Do whatever, I guess.” Hinata twined his arm with Kageyama’s, playing with his fingers for a bit. These hands were responsible for sending volleyballs flying to him all the time, with such great accuracy. These hands were a part of Kageyama, a part of him that connected to the ball which connected to Hinata. These hands were great.

Eventually Kageyama’s original reservations faded and he leant over to let his head rest on Hinata’s shoulder to watch as he played with his hand. The blocker’s tufty hair brushed into his face and he fought the urge to blow it off. As tickly and annoying as it was, it smelled like apple shampoo and undoubtedly helped him feel that ‘closeness’ Hinata had been talking about.

It progressed until Hinata was lying on the floor with his head and shoulders resting across Kageyama’s legs. The setter was fiddling with his bright hair, being very careful not to tug whilst twirling his fingers through the orange strands.

He moved on to trailing a finger around on Hinata’s forehead. “Your eyebrows are darker than your hair,” Kageyama remarked.

“Yeah,” replied Hinata, smiling up at him. “Yours are really thin.”

Kageyama touched his free hand to his face, frowning and rubbing a hand over his eyebrows. “Are they?”

“Yeah. Your nose is pretty small too.”

“Is it?”

Hinata laughed. “Do you even know what you look like?”

“Like a person? I have black hair. My eyes are dark too.” He continued with a somewhat uncertain, “Aren’t they?”

“Yeah, they’re like a dark grey. They’re pretty cool,” answered Hinata, a thrill of affection running through him as Kageyama blinked proudly and smiled to himself.

“Your eyes are nice too,” the setter returned without looking down.

Hinata screwed his eyes shut. “What colour are they, then?”

“Brown,” came the answer without missing a beat. “Like, a nut brown. Forest-y brown. They’re really warm like that, too.”

Hinata grinned and opened his eyes.

“They look best when you smile,” said Kageyama softly, tracing his finger down Hinata’s cheek. “Hey, your cheeks are really squishy!”

“I guess that’s why people cuddle like this,” mused Hinata. “They want to find out everything about each other.”

“That sounds right.”

It was then that Hinata’s plant thoughts came back to him. This relationship was like a little bud, just spreading its petals a little at the end. Each thing they did opened that flower a little more until it bloomed, and then after that, each move would enhance the colour and life radiated until it was the most beautiful thing anyone could see.

And at that moment, Hinata realised what could push that flower to the point of blooming.

It seemed that at the same moment Kageyama did as well, judging from how he looked down at Hinata with a curious eye.

“That’s…” Kageyama started to say, but he trailed into silence, still open-mouthed.

“Do you want to do that?” murmured Hinata, feeling his heart beat a little faster. “I mean…”

“I know what you mean.” Kageyama swallowed and held Hinata’s gaze. “That would make it…”

“…your first kiss?” finished the ginger. He twisted his lips when he realised he was probably blushing. “Me too.”

There was a quick, awkward pause.

“So should I—”

“Do you think—”

They both started at the same time, cutting each other off.

“You go first,” Hinata said, and then jumped in surprise when Kageyama bent his knees and pushed him into a sitting position. The setter leaned his head forward then hesitated at the last second, eyes locked onto Hinata’s and eyebrows knitted together anxiously. He felt like there should be music like in a movie or something, but all he could hear was the patter of rain outside. And there was the apprehension. If he couldn’t get this right, Hinata might not want anything to do with him ever again.

“I-I meant talk first, but this is fine too,” stammered Hinata.

“How should I…?” Kageyama looked his partner up and down, but the ginger twisted a little where he sat and placed his hands on the setter’s shoulders.

“There,” he said, taking a breath and blowing it out quickly. “Now do the thing again.”

“But which—” Kageyama started talking, so Hinata hastily moved a hand from his shoulder to the side of his head and pulled him down once more. He bumped their noses and foreheads into each other at first, but quickly figured out he needed to tilt his head a little.

Kageyama made a startled objection which was muffled into something unintelligible by Hinata’s lips, and he relaxed a little after a second. He saw Hinata squint open one eye curiously before he shut his tight.

It was a weird feeling but also a very good one, Hinata decided. The sensation of someone else’s lips against his was always something he assumed would gross him out, but it was just…smooth? Well, he couldn’t think of the word. And it being Kageyama on the other end of the kiss was a thought that made his heart race.

Kageyama felt Hinata’s right hand digging into his sleeve. Kissing made weird noises, and the feeling of little panting breaths on his mouth certainly was different. Hinata’s arms were beginning to strain, so Kageyama found himself leaning further down so as not to break the contact.

But after a few more moments the ginger pulled away, breathing fast. “How was that?”

“That was weird,” replied Kageyama, feeling the heat gathered in his face. “But not _bad_ weird.”

“Again?” asked Hinata breathlessly, and Kageyama nodded. It was so strange, but they couldn’t deny it felt fantastic.

Again they bumped foreheads, but it didn’t take long to get back into it. Hinata floated in the feeling of being surrounded by Kageyama, the press of his body against his side. He could feel the other teen’s hands wrapping around his back tentatively, like he was uncertain.

Hinata prompted him onwards by wriggling his arms around Kageyama, which made their teeth clack together a little as he stretched. But neither seemed to mind, concentrating more on the feeling of elated excitement prodding their pulses into overdrive.

Eventually Kageyama slid down a little way until they were almost lying together on the floor, Hinata giggling between breaths and clumsy nose kisses. “You screw up your eyes really funny,” he said, grinning lopsidedly.

Kageyama scowled and added, “Well, you make weird squeak noises.”

“It’s me laughing at your face,” he answered, and Kageyama tested a light kiss on his forehead.

Hinata beamed widely at this, and his classmate couldn’t hide his own smile.

Something had definitely bloomed here, neither would deny it.


	5. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time the prompt is 'Trust/Cosmos'. I'm very glad you liked the last chapter, too! Thank you to those who commented and left kudos, I'm really grateful!
> 
> Sorry this chapter is late, hope you enjoy~!

There were many factors involved in achieving a nice, clean spike.

There was the delivery to the setter, the way it fell to their fingertips before a toss. Was it a high, falling arc that just needed bounced up again? Or was it a fast, desperate curve that needed a tough redirection?

The way it left the setter’s hands was vital to the result of the spike. How far did the ball need to go? How high? How fast? Should it be whirling through the air, up and down? Or did it cut clean across the court and right into the spiker’s waiting hands?

Then, the spiker. Who was going to go for it? And where from? Paying attention to the setter would tell them what kind of toss it was going to be, and what kind of movements they should make; whether to wait for that soaring toss or fly right into a quick.

Blockers. Were there any? How would they be shaken, or was the ball going to blow right past them? How much force would that take, and where to aim? Was it a huge, walloping slap down to the ground, or a calculated shove through a gap in the arms?

All these kinds of things were important, but there was also the factor of trust. Trust that the ball would come to your hands, or that there would be someone there to hit it after it left. It wasn’t a simple factor to incorporate, nor was it easy to acquire. Despite this, Hinata flew full-force into Kageyama’s tosses, and the setter himself always knew when and where Hinata would be when he wanted the point.

Trust on the court was one thing for them, but outside was perhaps another matter, a trust that was tested all the more often and needed to be built just a little bit more.

Such a trial came about on a miserable, wet day about the Karasuno area. Hinata had bundled himself up in rain gear before his cycle to school, and Noya hadn’t been happy about getting his hair drenched on the way to class. The third years had arrived together, two of them sensibly with umbrellas. The odd one out was Daichi, whom Suga had been kind enough to share his with. This left Asahi feeling kind of like a third wheel, but he was used to it by this point.

But the people of Karasuno weren’t the only ones caught out in the bad weather, as Hinata and Kageyama discovered during lunch break.

Kageyama had just embarked on his usual journey to the vending machine for flavoured milk when he came across it, and ended up doubling right back the way he came wearing a look of pure horror. He’d bumped into Hinata as the ginger had come looking for him to ask about practice later that day.

“Kageyama? You look like you saw a ghost,” he remarked, clapping his hands in front of the setter. “What’s up?”

“Kuh…” Kageyama shot a glance over his shoulder. “Kah...C-C…”

“Stuttering? That’s weird from you!” Hinata snickered. “Seriously, what are you doing?”

Kageyama sucked in a deep breath through his nose and whipped around to thrust a finger in the direction he’d come. “Over there,” he hissed, and the words were wheezed between his teeth. “By the milk.”

“Hm?” Hinata took a few steps and peered around the corner, curious and a little concerned as to seeing what it was that had caused his teammate to freak out like that. His eyes lit up, then became puzzled.

“That’s it! That beast!” mouthed Kageyama from where he’d snuck up behind him.

Hinata’s forehead creased and he stretched his mouth into a flat smile. “Um, that is a cat.”

Just beside the vending machine, sheltered by the overhanging alcove in the wall, a mewling scrap of grey fur sat. It was soggy and bedraggled, making little squeaking meow noises at nothing in particular.

“A cat, or a demon?” growled Kageyama, eyes narrowed almost to the point of slits. “We just don’t know, do we?”

“I think it’s safe to say it’s probably a just a cat,” decided Hinata, stepping out from behind the corner and making for the cat cautiously.

“Be careful! It might give you rabies!” warned Kageyama, grabbing his wrist.

Hinata scoffed, tossing an incredulous look over his shoulder and pulling his hand free. He shuffled forward, crouching down. “Hey, buddy!” he crooned, reaching out two fingers to try and entice the cat closer. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you. You can trust me!”

“But can you trust _it_?” asked Kageyama pointedly, from where he hung back and watched on edgily.

“Sure! Look! He’s so cute!” The cat had trotted forward to rub its wet head against Hinata’s outstretched fingers. “He’s just cold and wet. Isn’t that right, little guy?” He giggled as the cat clawed at his shoelaces.

“It’s just waiting for an opportunity to strike,” claimed Kageyama haughtily.

“I’m gonna name you Ken, after Kenma.” It looked like the setter was being completely ignored. Hinata cracked into an almighty grin when the cat willingly climbed into his arms, purring. “Friendly kitty, aren’t you? Come say hi, Kageyama!”

“I don’t like cats,” stated Kageyama slowly, folding his arms and backing away as Hinata walked closer.

“Yeah, but just say hello then! Or a pat! Ken doesn’t bite, do you kitty?” Hinata stroked the cat’s chin and the grey tabby raised its head in satisfaction.

“How do you know it doesn’t bite?! You only just found it!”

“He’s a nice kitty! Aren’t you?” Hinata continued moving closer to his teammate. He was surprised to see the setter staring with an intense look of apprehension.

Kageyama began pressing to the wall like he might have to scale it and climb to freedom. “Hinata! I really don’t like cats, okay? Just take it away!”

The ginger stopped, a puzzled look on his face as he saw how Kageyama was shaking his head and swallowing nervously.

“I really don’t like cats,” repeated the first year quietly, exposing his palms and eyeing the cat anxiously.

“Oh, well, if that’s the case, you don’t have to…” Hinata’s tone sobered up. “But I mean, if you just give him a little pat…”

Kageyama stared at him like his hair had just sprouted green stalks and become carrots.

“If you do, I swear it’ll be okay.” Hinata tickled the cat’s chin again. “Look, there’s nothing to be afraid of. He’s harmless, so you shouldn’t have to worry about it. I’m sure you’ll get over it right away if you just give it a shot.”

“What if it claws my eyes out?” pressed Kageyama, fists balled.

“He won’t claw your eyes out,” promised Hinata. Upon receiving naught but a sceptical glare, he continued, “You just gotta trust me.”

Kageyama went silent for a bit, but then straightened and stepped away from the wall.

“Okay,” he said in a firmer voice. “I’ll pat your dumb cat. But if I lose my eyes, I’m going to kick you _so_ hard.”

Hinata didn’t bother pointing out that it would be hard to find him and kick him if he were blind, instead presenting the sopping feline to his teammate.

The setter chewed his lip and cast a questioning glance at the blocker.

“Go ahead. It’ll be fine, trust me.”

Kageyama looked at him hard for a moment, then gingerly reached out one hand and held it in front of the cat.

‘Ken’ gave the hand a sniff, then stretched out and rubbed his jaw along them. This was much to Kageyama’s surprise. He gave a start and nearly flinched away, but Hinata caught his eye and gave a reassuring smile.

“There you go,” he said. “Trust goes a long way, right?”


	6. Wander

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There, today's chapter. On time, for once! ; v ;
> 
> Hope you like it! The prompt was 'Euphoria/Wander'.

“No! No way! Please, no! Don’t do this to me! I’m begging you!”

Kageyama was just heading to his next class in the English room (he had initially thought it was a science lesson until about five minutes prior, but really, what was the difference?) when he heard a distinctive and all too familiar voice crying out in dismay from around the corner.

Out of interest and a little bit of concern he wouldn’t admit to, he looked around the building to try and spot the speaker. _What has he gotten himself into this time?_

He was surprised to see the little ginger slumped on the pavement in front of an old vending machine, punching it weakly with one hand. Not that Hinata could have known, this vending machine was one of the school’s oldest models and was notorious for swiping the cash of unsuspecting students who didn’t realise it was exact change only.

It was a cunning old piece of machinery – it had even managed to suck up an extra 680 yen of Kageyama’s once upon a time. It hadn’t taken him long to thwart it in revenge though, since he wasn’t going to let it get away with such a malicious offence scot-free.

“Hey, dumbass,” he called out. “The hell are you doing?”

“Vending machine ate my pocket money…” he moaned, throwing another ineffectual punch from his crumpled position. Several schoolbooks lay at his side, though most looked to be oozing some mysterious purple liquid.

“So you’re going to beat it to submission?” asked Kageyama. “If so, you’re not doing the best job.”

“Shut u-u-up,” whined Hinata, burying his face in his shoulder.

“Here. Let me help, you dumbass.” Kageyama set his books down and strode over. Once close enough, he pressed one of the buttons and gave the old machine a good kick in the side. A couple of packets of crisps fell out. “There. These things always fall out if you hit it like that. Think of it as revenge for the stolen money.” He grabbed the packets and dropped them onto Hinata’s head.

After asking if the blocker was going to move off to class and receiving no response, he realised something was amiss about him.

“Oi, Hinata, get up,” he commanded, brushing the packets off the boy’s face. “We need to get to…”

The ginger put his hands on his head and rolled over so that his back was to Kageyama.

“Are you crying?” asked Kageyama disbelievingly. “Why are you doing that? Stop doing that. Is there something wrong?”

Hinata shook his head but didn’t say anything.

“It’s only a little bit of money, and I got the value back in snacks,” reasoned Kageyama. Figuring the boy couldn’t have used that much money since there was nothing that expensive in the machine, he said, “Listen, if it hurts you so much, I’ll pay you whatever you lost. And don’t get all stupid about it. A whole load of people get swindled by that stupid thing.”

“It’s not ‘cause of the vending machine.” Hinata’s voice was muffled.

“Then why?” probed Kageyama. He was beginning to get a little worried about his teammate.

“Just everything today,” mumbled the blocker. “First, you know how Yamaguchi was all sad because his pet dog died yesterday and that made me sad…”

Kageyama did know. And from how Hinata teared up and whimpered about it (more so than even Yamaguchi himself), most of the volleyball team did as well.

“And then after that, I realised I brought all the wrong books to school, so I had to borrow from people and ended up running around all lunch to find someone who could give me their Japanese textbook and when I finally found it lunch was almost over, but then someone tripped over and got their grape juice all over the books I borrowed. And then I tried to get a snack from the machine because I missed lunch, but it took all my money.”

Kageyama found himself being unusually empathetic today.

“But you see, that money was also my bus fare because today is my sister’s birthday so I’m supposed to get home early so I was going to catch the bus and meet my family in the town, but now I don’t have any money and my bike’s not even here. So I’m stuck. Today is just garbage.”

Hinata made quiet sniffling noises every so often and eventually sat up, wiping away at his streaming eyes. “And I got a nine percent on the last maths quiz we just got back, after missing like a billion spikes in practice this morning.”

“What does maths matter?” scoffed Kageyama, aiming to make the teen feel better but not really succeeding.

“I’m such an idiot.” Hinata slapped his head into his hands. “Nine percent!”

“It’s not like we even need maths at all!” continued Kageyama. “You might suck as that, but your spikes don’t suck!”

The ginger grunted unhappily. “What’s the point of that if I fail school?”

“Then you find another way, and keep playing!” barked Kageyama, and his teammate flinched. He sighed and resumed speaking, with a gentler tone this time. “Sorry. It’s not like you to be so pessimistic. I’m not…used to it.”

This seemed to affect Hinata in quite a negative way. The blocker whimpered and twisted his head to look away.

“Come on. Walk.” Kageyama stood up, motioning for Hinata to follow.

“But…you’ll miss class,” the other teen pointed out.

“Doesn’t matter. English is useless anyway.”

That was how they came to be wandering about the school grounds through lesson time, a bundle of books in their arms.

Kageyama just kept talking. He wasn’t really what one would call the talkative type, but this was something he had to do to get Hinata smiling again.

Because seeing him like this just wasn’t right.

He went on and on about volleyball, since that was one of the only things he truly knew. Maybe he repeated himself a few times, and he really didn’t know if it was helping at all, but he was doing the best he knew how to do.

“The point I’m trying to make is that just because it’s a crappy day doesn’t mean you have to give up. I’m sure you’ve had days like this before, right?”

Hinata nodded solemnly. “Yeah.”

“And you’ve always been fine, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. I believe you will this time as well.” Kageyama grabbed Hinata’s shoulders, making him start. “I believe in you.”

“Th-thanks,” Hinata stammered, looking flustered. Students were beginning to leave class around them. “And thanks for getting those crisps out of the vending machine. And walking with me.” He looked away. “It means a lot.”

“Do you want fare for the bus?”

Hinata opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off.

“ _Hi-na-ta!_ ” a singsong voice tore across the school grounds. “ _Ka-ge-ya-ma!_ ”

“Shoot!” Kageyama jumped, desperately trying to pinpoint the source of the voice. “He already knows?!”

“Is that…?!” Hinata gulped and glanced around.

“A little birdie told me you didn’t show up for your last lessons! Were you _skiving?_ ”

“Sugawara!” hissed Kageyama. “ _Run!_ ”

Hinata didn’t need to be told twice. Suga’s punishments were never light.

The two of them sprinted from the school grounds like there was no tomorrow. Whether a dawdling wander or a sprint for dear life, they were always in it together.

…

Suga still caught them.


	7. Pattern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry I missed a day again. *sweats*
> 
> Here's yesterday's chapter, let's see how fast I can get through writing today's! Wish me luck! This prompt is 'Summit/Pattern'.
> 
> Enjoy, though it's a little rushed, sorry. ^ ^ ;

_Start._

“Tokyo! Practise match! Tokyo! Practise match!” Hinata chanted to himself as they waited to board the school’s minibus. He’d been chanting to the rest of the team prior to that, until he’d been snapped at by Tsukishima to quieten down.

To the moody blocker’s credit, the most of the team were seconds away from gagging Hinata and taping him down themselves. All except Tanaka and Nishinoya, who were too busy running circles around the others in anticipation of the match. There wasn’t much to be done in trying to get them to conserve their energy for the actual game.

_Stop._

“Alright, alright!” Ukai’s voice broke over the babble of students. “Everyone onto the bus! Be sensible for once and calm down!”

Hinata made a dash for the back of the bus, aiming to snatch the best seat in the house. Kageyama caught on quickly and charged after him.

“There’s no way I’m letting you get that seat!” he snapped, bounding forwards and beating even the hyperactive second years to the chase. Noya and Tanaka both let out simultaneous squawks of indignation and raced after the setter.

“Honestly, you’d think they were all pre-schoolers,” complained Ennoshita, but he did nothing to stop the four of them from nearly breaking each other’s necks trying to snag the back window seat.

“True,” agreed Suga, stepping onto the bus with Daichi not far behind. The captain quietly pushed his way past to knock the rowdy player’s heads together. Nobody stopped him, and soon they were on their way.

_Start._ The bus lurched into action

Hinata had in fact claimed the glory of back window seat by utilising his advantageously small body to wriggle free of the competition. Kageyama ended up sitting grumpily next to him. Noya and Tanaka had to take the seat in front of them, but the quarrel was all but forgotten to them now.

Kageyama, not so much.

_Stop._ The bus drew to a halt at traffic lights.

He and Hinata spent most of the journey bickering about the seat the ginger had clearly only got to first because of a head start/cheating/unfair advantage/witchcraft. Hinata just gloated, adding to the sting of his teammate’s defeat.

Eventually, Hinata’s smugness got to the point where Kageyama jumped out of his chair in an effort to make him see the light. “Clearly it was a head start, dumbass! If you’d began fairly, I definitely would have won!”

“Yeah right! Try me!” Hinata pulled a face.

_Start._ The bus took off again, Kageyama stumbling a little as it moved.

 “Kageyama, please take your seat!” called Takeda from the front of the bus. “We don’t need any injuries before we even reach Tokyo!”

The setter didn’t acknowledge this, deciding to instead do the obviously logical thing and take his arm of the seat he’d been using to keep his balance to point an accusing finger at Hinata. “Alright then, let’s see you—”

_Stop._ The bust jolted to a halt as the car in front of them suddenly took a sharp turn.

As Ukai clambered over some heads to shout out a window at the reckless driver, Kageyama lost his footing and fell forwards in a most ungraceful manner.

Twisting as he fell, he landed on his back, uninjured. However, he much would have preferred falling down in the aisle and sliding the whole way to the front of the bus. Maybe even out the window. Yeah, smashing headfirst through the windscreen might even have been better than this.

“Kageyama? Are you alright?” Daichi’s voice came from the front of the bus, where Ukai was returning to his seat muttering about crazy city drivers.

_Start_. The bus drove off again.

“I think he’s fine,” called Yamaguchi, looking over the back of his seat. “I can’t say the same for Hinata though.”

Kageyama wriggled from where he was stuck, sprawled across Hinata’s lap with their limbs tangled together. The little blocker gave an indignant chirp and tried to push his teammate off. “I’m fine! I’m not so small I’d get crushed by Kageyama!”

“Sure, sure,” put in Tsukishima snidely. “Is that why you haven’t pushed him off yet?”

“I’m just…” Hinata was growling through clenched teeth as he struggled to shove Kageyama off his lap. “Gimme a sec!”

Kageyama himself hissed and squirmed, but Hinata was pushing where he was pulling and he was just getting even more stuck, now between the ginger and the seat in front of him.

“Are you two alright back there?” Tanaka was doing an _awesome_ job of hiding his snickers and Noya was dissolving into a puddle of illiterate giggling.

“We’re fine!” both first years barked back, though it was beginning to look like Kageyama wouldn’t get free.

_Stop._ The two of them paused and looked at each other. Hinata blew out a frustrated sigh. “This is your fault.”

“You’re the one that stole my seat!” retorted Kageyama from his position half between the chair and Hinata’s knees with his an arm clutching desperately to the headrest behind the blocker so as not to fall on his rump between the seats.

_Start._

Legs pressed against Kageyama’s side and cheek pressed to his arm, Hinata was smothered by the scent of the setter’s deodorant. He could feel Kageyama trembling in an effort not to slide between the chairs and get stuck in the foot space. Eyes locked, he felt his heart begin to beat a little faster.

Kageyama saw Hinata swallow and look away awkwardly. All it would take to send him slipping into an even worse position was the slightest push, but Hinata breathed deeply and hauled him upwards. The setter could feel fingers digging into his ticklish side and fought the urge to laugh.

As Hinata wrestled to push him upright, a stray hand slipped down a back and Kageyama barely stifled a yelp. The ginger realised what he’d just squeezed and blood rushed to his face, in particular his ears. Kageyama forced himself not to acknowledge how strangely adorable that was.

“We never speak of that again,” hissed Kageyama and his teammate nodded vigorously.

_Stop._

Less than a minute later, they were arguing again, albeit a lot less angrily.

One accidental contact and a soaring feeling like this _did not_ translate to a crush.

Nah.

Hinata glanced at Kageyama arguing with the air and smiled to himself.

_Start._

Kageyama yammered on, if only to ignore the nervous fluttering in his chest.

_Stop._

Totally not a crush.

_Start._

_Stop.  
_

_And soar._


	8. Invincible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! Last day, everyone! The prompt is 'Invincible/Free Choice'. (Sorry about any typos, I don't have much time to proof right now.)
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading! It's been a pleasure to write these for everyone, so I hope you enjoyed them just as much. It's kind of a bummer to finish these, but now I think I'll start on the other fics I've been thinking about... //glares at the Daisuga and old FMA fics
> 
> Here's the last chapter! Hope you enjoy, and leave a comment if you did! :3

Hinata let out a little sigh from where he sat, curled in a ball with Kageyama’s head resting on his shoulder. The two were pressed into each other on a couch in Hinata’s back room. The boy’s parents were in the living room trying to set up the TV to record, and Natsu was fast asleep in her room.

It was dark outside now, and the glow from the television was the only source of light in the room. Hinata was sleepy enough, but didn’t really feel like going to bed. Kageyama usually went along with whatever he did.

“Is something wrong?” asked the setter, lifting his head to look down at his boyfriend.

“Hm?”

“You sighed,” said Kageyama. “Usually people do that when something’s wrong.”

Hinata shuffled where he sat and looked around. “Well, I was just thinking…”

“That’s odd for you.”

“Says you,” retorted Hinata affectionately and dug his elbow into the other teen’s side.

Kageyama squirmed and jabbed Hinata back. The ginger stuck out his tongue and laughed.

“Anyway, go on,” prompted Kageyama. “Tell me what you were thinking about.”

Hinata smiled inwardly. Kageyama was pretty dense when it came to feelings, but he always made an effort to listen to him and try to make him feel better.

“What’s going to happen after school?” he murmured softly.

“We’re gonna go to practise, then go home,” answered Kageyama. Hinata snorted. Yes, Kageyama made his efforts but he was still as thick as lead. Though, Hinata decided, so was he sometimes.

“I mean, after we graduate,” he elaborated. “What are we gonna do then?”

“Go home and sleep probably,” said Kageyama.

Hinata gave him a dubious look. “Are you saying this just to mess with me or are you actually being this daft?”

Kageyama shifted his weight and looked at the ceiling. “Neither. I’m just in denial that I actually have to think about things like graduation. I’ll deal with that when we get to it. It’s just the end of school, after all.”

“Yeah, but…” Hinata looked down and moved closer, drawing his knees close to wrap his arms around them. “School’s all we’ve been doing our whole lives. And then we just…leave?”

“Good riddance,” grumbled Kageyama.

“Won’t it be weird? Aren’t you worried?” pressed Hinata. Graduation was something he’d been thinking about for a while now that he’d realised just how close it was for the third years.

“Well, sure I’m worried,” said Kageyama after a while. “But it’s still a way off, right? I’m thinking more about our next tournament than that. So it’s not really a bother right now.”

“But one day, it will be,” pointed out Hinata.

“And I’ll worry about it on that day,” reasoned the setter, looking at his teammate. “But what’s the point thinking about it so soon?”

“The teachers keep telling us to think about it,” mumbled the ginger. His brown eyes became forlorn, and Kageyama felt a pang that the things he was saying weren’t getting through. “And my parents. And I don’t know what I want to tell them.”

“Play volleyball with me,” said Kageyama firmly. He wrapped a hand around Hinata’s. “That’s all there is.”

“But do you think that’s—”

“Of course,” butted in Kageyama. “Whatever it is, of course. Wherever I go, whenever I play, I’m taking you with me.”

“Then I’m going to stay,” said Hinata quietly. Then he sat up, breaking out with a semi-frustrated, “Until I finally beat you!”

“Good. That’s the dumbass I like.” Kageyama settled back into the couch and Hinata snuggled back up next to him, yawning. “You don’t have to worry about anything. Because I’m always going to be with you, and remember what I said?”

“I’ll be invincible when you’re there,” mumbled the ginger sleepily.

“That’s right.” Kageyama rested his head back on Hinata’s, ignoring the TV in favour of looking down at his precious teammate.

“No, I think…” Hinata smothered another yawn. “We’ll be invincible.”

Kageyama blinked in surprise, then allowed himself a smile. And not just a smirking one but a true, Hinata-worthy grin. He bent his head down to kiss Hinata’s forehead. “I like that better.”

“We’ll be invincible…” Hinata grinned back. “I like it too.”


End file.
